The Police in Benue State have arrested 17 suspects over a mob attack on passengers of commercial vehicle at Adagi community along the Jato-Aka-Adikpo road in Kwande Local Government Area of the state.

The attack, which followed a motor accident, left a senior police officer in coma, while the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Kwande sustained multiple machete wounds while attempting to rescue an accident victim.

State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed this at the weekend while parading the suspects at the command headquarters in Makurdi.

Nwadiogbu said the senior police officer who was attacked by the mob while trying to rescue an accident victim was still hospitalised and receiving medical attention.

He explained that trouble started when the vehicle conveying passengers, including the police officer, knocked down a villager in the community, a development which led to residents of the area trooping out with machetes and attacking occupants of the vehicle.

He said that the DPO of Kwande, who arrived at the scene with a team to rescue the passengers from the mob, was also attacked and macheted all over his body.

The CP said the mob further attacked police officers who were passengers in the vehicle, vandalised and destroyed the Toyota Hilux vehicle, damaged the roof of the nearby police station and carted away mobile phones and other personal belongings.

Nwadiogbu said the 17 suspects and exhibits recovered in connection with the incident had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Makurdi, for further investigation.

He condemned the resort to mob action, urging residents to stop taking laws into their hands.

He said the suspects would be charged to court after investigation.

“We are not in an animal kingdom but in a society governed by law,” the commissioner said, stressing that criminal matters should be handled within the provisions of the law.

In a related development, the commissioner said operatives of the Otukpo Area Command arrested a suspect, identified as Sunday Oguche, during a stop-and-search operation on September 11.

The CP said one locally fabricated pistol was recovered from the suspect, adding that investigation was ongoing to establish the source of the firearm and his possible connection with other criminal activities.

Nwadiogbu commended officers and tactical teams involved in the operations for their courage and commitment, assuring residents that the command would continue to protect lives and property and ensure that perpetrators were brought to justice.